Door operating mechanism



June 16, 1942. w; QUINN 2,286,572

DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM Filed Aug. 19, 1940 InvEntmT' E.W.Quinn Y Fittmr'nrigi Patented June 1942 UNITED. STATES "PATENT OFFICE 2,286,572 noon OPERATING MECHANISM George W. Quinn, Reedsburg, Wis. Application August 19, 1940, Serial No. 353,264

1 Claim.

This invention appertains to a door opening and closing mechanism, and more particularly to an operating device for double doors of the type generally employed in garages, and the like.

One of the primary objects of my invention is to provide means for opening and closing the doors of a garage from the exterior thereof, whereby a person approaching or leaving the garage can actuate the doors without leaving the seat of an automobile.

Another salient object of my invention is to provide a door operating mechanism which will be easy to operate without undue effort on the part of the operator, and which can be installed in a garage at a small cost.

A further important object of my invention is to provide latch means from a part of the operating mechanism for holding the doors both in their opened and closed positions against accidental movement, whereby danger of wind catching the doors and swinging the same back and forth is eliminated.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a swinging rock lever mounted on a stationary support in the garage operatively connected to actuating links carried by the doors, and a pull cord mechanism extending exteriorly of the garage and connected with pivoted latch levers carried by the rock lever, the latch levers being so arranged as to engage the stationary support when the doors are either in their open or closed position for holding the doors against inadvertent movement.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement and formation of parts, as will be hereinafter more specifically described, claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which drawing:

Figure l is a horizontal, sectional view through a garage, showing my novel door opening and closing mechanism incorporated therewith.

Figure 2 is a similar view, but showing the doors in their open position;

Figure 3 is a detail, vertical, sectional view, taken on the line 3--3 of Figure 2, looking in the direction of the arrows, and illustrating the novel door latching mechanism.

Figure 4 is a detail, fragmentary, plan view showing the method of attaching the latch levers or bars to the swinging rock lever.

Referring to the drawing in detail, wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout several views, the letwalls 5 and 6 provided with door posts I, to whichter M generally indicates my door operating mechanism for a garage G, or other building.

The garage or other building G includes side are secured by hinges 8 the doors 9 and III.

The door operating mechanism M includes an outwardly extending stationary support II, which can be in the nature of a beam formed from a two-by-four, or similar unit. This stationary support II can be secured to the side wall 6, or to some other convenient support arranged at the appropriate distance from the doors 9 and I0. In order to hold the support II firmly in place, brace straps I2 and I3 can be "employed.

Rockably mounted on the stationary support II adjacent to the inner end thereof, by means of apivot pin I I, is a swinging rock lever I5. The outer end of the rock lever I5 is connected by means of a pivot pin I6 to the inner ends of door actuating links I! and I B. These links have their forward ends connected to brackets I8 and I9, by means of pivot pins 20. The brackets I8 and I9 are rigidly fastened to the inner faces of the doors 9 and I0, adjacent to the meeting edges of said doors.

Cooperating with the rock lever M and the stationary support II are latch bars or levers 2I and 22. These latch levers are hingedly connected at their inner ends to a common plate 23, bolted or otherwise fastened to the rock lever I5. The plate 23 is arranged intermediate the ends of the rock lever. If preferred, the rock lever and latch levers or bars can be resiliently supported at a point distant from the pivot pin I4 by a coil spring 24. I

The lower end of the coil spring is fastened to the rock lever I5, and the upper end of the coil spring can be fastened to the roof of the garage, or some other suitable overhead support 25. The outer ends of the latch bars or levers 2| and 22 are notched, as at 26, for engaging the stationary support H at certain times, as will belater described.

As one of the important features of the invention is to operate the doors from the exterior of the building, I arrange at a desired point from the garage a standard 21, to which is fastened at right angles to one another idle pulleys 28 and 29. Pull cords or chains 30 and 3| are trained over the idle pulleys, and the inner end of the pull cord or chain 30 is connected to the outer end of the latch bar or lever 2 I. The inner end of the pull cord or chain 3| is fastened to the outer end of the latch lever or bar 22. The cables 30 and 3| are also trained over guide pulleys 32 and 33, respectively, and these pulleys are fastened to suitable supports within the garage and above the latch levers or bolts 21 and 22, so that when pull is exerted on the cables, the initial movement of the latch levers or bars will be in an upward path.

If desired, the outer ends of the pull cables, which depend downward from the idle pulley 28, can be providedwithsuitable weights for operating handles.

It is to be understood that all of the operating mechanism within the garage is located over-.

doors reach their closed position, the notch 26 on the latch lever or bar 2| will drop in rear of the support I l and prevent the inadvertent opening of the doors.

When a person is inside of the garage, it is merely necessary to reach up and lift the latch lever 2| above the support I I, and manually push on the rock lever IE, or exert a thrust on the doors 9 and Ill themselves. Likewise, if a person is inthe garage, it. is merely necessary for such person to reach up and pull on the cable 3|, or to manually release the latch bar 22 from the support I l, and pull in on the rock lever l5.

head; that is, the mechanism is disposed above the roof of a car entering or leavingcthegarage'.

In use of my improved door operating mechanism, say a person is approachingthe garage,

then it is merely necessary to pull on:the cable 30; which will lift the latch bolt 2| and swing the rock lever outward.

The forward swinging movement of .the "rock I lever will impart a thrust-to the links I! -and*l8, which-will'swing the doors '9 and- H! to an open position,- and this movement. is continuous:until the notch 26 of the latch lever 22 rides in front of the stationary support I I, which latches the doors in their fully open position.

In order to insure against the doors being swungmpen toatoogreat an extent, stops 34 are arranged exteriorly of the garage and in the path of the doors. When a person is leaving the garage, he can'.momentarilystopthe vehicle and reach out from a car window and pull on the cable 3|. This *will raise the latch bar or lever 22 above the stationary support H, andthen swing the rock lever inwardly.- The. inward swinging movement 'of the'rock lever will cause While I prefer to manually operate the cables 301and..3| inalli instances, a motor can be pro- 3 vided for actuating the cables, if such should be a pull on; the-links I! and [8, which will swing thedoors to their closedposition: When the desired.

, Changesand details may be made without departingfrom the spirit or scope of my invention, but what I claim as new is:

In a, door opening and closing device, a pairof links pivotally .connected at theircouter ends toswinging doors adjacent to the meeting edges .of said doors, a rigid support .arranged within. a building, a rock lever 'pivotally mounted at its outer end to the support and 'to theinner ends of the links, the rock lever being movable over the support, latch leverspivotally. secured to the op posite sides of the rock lever for latchingengage- 'ment with the support at different times,'resilient supporting means secured to the rocking lever intermediate its ends, pull cables secured to the outer end of the latch levers and extending in opposite directions therefrom, idle pulleys arranged above the latch levers over which thecables are trained, and guide pulleys for'the cables disposed exteriorlyof a'building and beyond the swinging doors.

' GEORGE W. QUINN; 

